Harbored
by Lennonion
Summary: Curious Rudy is new to the world of romance and love. He's adored Klaus who serves as his guardian secretly for a long time, but to no avail. What happens when he decides to take a chance and try to reveal his true feelings? (Book Thief & A Series of Unfortunate Events Crossover, Klaus Baudelaire and Rudy Steiner)


Naïve Rudy had no idea why it had to be this way. Never (and there were no exceptions) was he ever allowed into Klaus's study while he was at work. What did he do in there that was so important? And why couldn't he just do it somewhere else, like in the living room? Klaus was a researcher who had taken after his father, and his sister Violet the creator of strange thingamajigs that didn't yet have names. Sunny was still a kid at heart. After all, she'd always be their little sister. Right now, the only two souls in the Baudelaire's reconstructed mansion were Klaus and Rudy, and the curious one of the two dared to take a peek into the study. It was just of his nature - he had always been one to linger around when his presence was no longer needed, but maybe, just maybe, that would change today.

The blonde-haired boy tiptoed over towards the hallway until he finally reached the big brown door. A pang of nervousness radiated through his stomach. What if Klaus got mad and had an outburst? Sheepishly, Rudy quietly knocked on the door. There was no response. No 'come in' or even a 'get the hell out of here'. Daringly, he ran his fingertips over the doorknob before finally opening the door. Of course, Klaus was busily scribbling away at something in his notebook. Or was it a diary? He didn't even look up. "You know the rule, Steiner." He growled. "Are you physically hurt or dying? What do you want?"

"I.. No. I've just been wondering about stuff lately." The younger boy shut the door. "I was hoping we could talk." He shyly walked over to Klaus's desk as he shut his notebook rather quickly. Rudy's hands folded nervously behind his back. It was a bad habit. A sudden case of the jitters developed soon after. "Alright, then. Suffice it to say, Steiner. Speak." A sly smirk spread across his face as he leaned back in his armchair. What could Rudy possibly want with him? This ought to be interesting. "Klaus, do you ever think about love?"

_Love?_ Klaus mused in his mind sarcastically. _This kid is coming to me to speak about love?_ Had it not been for his professional demeanor, he would've burst out into laughter. The Baudelaire boy was one of those people who had never believed in love. To him, it was an overused word. Still, he bit his lip while trying hard not to smile, and cleared his throat before speaking again. "Not really, why do you ask? Do you have a bad case of the hots for someone?" The eloquent male's eyes slid down the blue-eyed boy's body. "Kind of." He couldn't help it. Klaus began to laugh. "And who might your special lady be?" Rudy bit his lip. "Well, she, umm... She's not exactly a lady." He shifted on his two feet and looked down. "Oh?" Klaus's hand trailed up to his mouth out of surprise.

"Who is_ he_, then?" Rudy began to blush. "Well, he's not so far away from me. He can be quite tough sometimes and thinks he's such a smartass. He really loves books too-" Klaus cocked his head and looked at him, almost in a strange way. Reality began to hit him. Did Rudy, the boy down the street, have a _crush_ on him? "Ah, I see. What's his name?" The younger boy was now putty in his hands. "Uh.. K-Karl." Rudy stuttered. "Really, now? I don't know of any Karl in this neighborhood, and I've lived here all my life. Hmm, I sense someone's fibbing. Fess up. Who is he, really? Or is this a practical joke?"

The freckle-faced German was put on the spot and felt like running out of the room. He hadn't realized what he'd gotten himself into. Klaus could be so manipulating and such a bastard sometimes without even really trying. It was one of his many talents. If he only knew who the 'special someone' was and Rudy had told the truth from the beginning, he wouldn't be in such a pickle right now. The blond boy learned an important moral that day. _Life lesson, kids. Tell the truth from the start or else you'll keep ending up back at square one, or maybe in an even worse situation. _Right now, he wasn't back at square one, but was in an embarrassing situation with the older boy whom he was secretly infatuated with. What would Violet or Liesel do? Violet was a best friend to Rudy, and he could never see her as a lover. To begin with, she was older, and she was the only one who knew about his feelings towards Klaus. Liesel was as pure as can be, but their Himmel Street days were over and done after they were forced out of each others' lives due to the bombings. Rudy's house was completely damaged, and with a small thread of luck he made it out alive. He sensed the attacks - there was an uneasy feeling in the air that night.

In addition, Rudy realized that he was a closet bisexual when he turned about twelve. It wouldn't have worked out with Liesel because they were miles apart, but that didn't change the fact that he'd always love her. He was openly straight to everyone else, but deep down, he harbored feelings for both boys and girls. Klaus was 'into' the science of sexuality (think: orientation and preference, not mushy gushy love), but it was an awkward topic, so they didn't touch on it much despite the fact that they were nearly full-grown men. Klaus was seventeen, and Rudy was sixteen. The lemon-haired boy was forced to make a decision. No angel nor devil sat upon his shoulders that day. The most logical thing to do would be to tell Klaus, and if he didn't return the feeling, then talk it over with Violet and take a breather for a few days. Rudy was expecting the auburn-haired boy to decline him and be grossed out, but the tables turned in the blink of an eye. After all, the Steiner boy was taken under the Baudelaire family's (or what remained of it) wings when his parents died. Klaus and Rudy had developed a special bond the day they met at the foster home that couldn't be broken. They had a lot in common, and more importantly, chemistry. Klaus didn't see him as a younger brother, just as a bird who'd been wounded in battle.


End file.
